British 1st Airborne Division

The British 1st Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army that was active from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The 1st Airborne Division, along with the British 6th Airborne Division, was one of only two British airborne divisions to be formed during the war. In 1942, the division took part in raids on Normandy, France and Norway, and part of the division was sent to North Africa later that year. The division fought in the Tunisian campaign, the Operation Husky invasion of Sicily, and the invasion of Italy, and the division was kept in reserve at the time of Operation Overlord in 1944. In September 1944, the division took part in Operation Market Garden, landing 60 miles behind German lines to capture crossings on the Rhine River and fighting at the Battle of Arnhem. The division was isolated by the Germans, and it was unable to communicate with other units due to radio troubles, leading to the division's supplies being dropped in German-held areas and reinforcements never arriving. John Frost's 1st Airborne detachment in Arnhem was forced to surrender to the Germans after spirited resistance, while divisional commander Roy Urquhart had his division sneak across the Rhine River to safety as the wounded soldiers held the Germans back. The division entered Arnhem with 10,000 men and left with 2,000, and the brigade never fully recovered from its losses at Arnhem. In May 1945, the division took part in the peaceful occupation of Norway, and it returned to England and was disbanded in November 1945.